“Actually, no.” She allowed him to help her mount before he tied the basket of food to the saddle. “Ryder Grey will be my escort today.”
His head snapped up and his gaze narrowed on her. “Ryder? You’ve seen him this morning?”
Clarissa’s heart dropped. Did this man already realize Ryder was missing? She needed to do some quick thinking or he’d catch her in a lie. If her father found out...she’d be in serious trouble!
“Um... no, but I asked him to meet me out by the front gate.” The panic pulsing through her made her voice shake. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll ride out to see if he’s there.”
She didn’t give the guard any time to speak. She pushed her heels into the horse’s belly, urging the animal into a run. She hoped the man didn’t try to follow her, or he’d discover the truth. And that, Clarissa determined, was something she’d never allow.
###
CLARISSA MADE IT TOthe tower without any more distractions. Thankfully, the guard was easy to convince that she was meeting Ryder. Hopefully, telling that little white lie wouldn’t complicate things later on. For certain, the guards would wonder where Ryder was. Unfortunately, she couldn’t release her friend until after the wedding.
She untied the basket of food from the saddle, collected two blankets she’d brought for him, and hurried inside the tower and up the several flights of stairs. When she reached the top floor and entered, Ryder was sitting on the cot with his back and head resting against the rock wall as he looked her way. For a moment, she was disappointed to see he wasn’t overjoyed to see her. Remembering, she was the one who locked him in this dismal place, she realized if roles were reversed, she wouldn’t be too happy, either.
“So you decided not to let me starve.” Ryder’s voice held no emotion.
“But of course. I told you I would bring you some food.” She held up the basket. “I had the cooks pack enough food to last you throughout the day.”
She didn’t dare get too close, in case he grabbed her and tried to bring harm to her as a way of forcing his release. She placed the blankets and the basket on the ground. As she bent to open the basket, she raised her gaze to him. Still wearing a frown, his attention was on the basket of food.
“I thank you for thinking of my appetite, Princess, and for my warmth.”
Clarissa wished his tone didn’t sound so forlorn. It was bad enough she felt guilty for what she’d done. She didn’t need him to remind her. If only Ryder could understand her reasons for wanting him locked up...
“Tell me, Princess,” Ryder asked in a mocked tone, “when is your wedding with Prince Ormond? I would hate to miss it, being locked up in the tower and all.”
Embarrassment—and a bigger niggle of guilt—washed over her. She lowered her gaze on the floor and muttered, “He hasn’t really asked as of yet. I’ve only seen him once.”
“And yet, here you are, thinking of marriage?” He tsked. “That doesn’t sound like the Clarissa I remember from school.”
Irritation shot through her and she snapped her gaze to meet his. “It will happen. I assure you, Mr. Grey!”
He shrugged and glanced back down at the basket of food, studying what was inside. “Princess, may I ask what you have brought me to drink?” He looked at her, arching his eyebrow. “I appreciate the food, however, I will die without water. Had you thought of that?”
She grumbled under her breath. So she’d forgotten about that particular issue with providing nutrition for him. “Forgive me, but I did not remember.” She pointed toward the window. “There is a lake not far from here, and I’m sure I could get water there.”
Slowly, he crossed his arms over his wide chest and cocked his head. “And pray tell, what would you store the water in? This room is bare of any type of bowls or cups.”
Inwardly, she boiled. He’d proven her wrong again. “I shall find one.”
“How? If I recall, the other floors in this tower seemed as bare as this one. Unless, of course, there is a kitchen underground.”
“Ryder, cease your taunting. It’s not becoming.”
Finally, a resemblance of a grin touched his mouth. Unfortunately, it didn’t touch his sad, brown eyes.
He scooted to the edge of the cot, but still remained sitting. “I hope you know this area better than I because if not, you shall have to ride all the way back to the palace just to fetch a container to hold the water.” He shook his head. “I get the impression you don’t want to stay around the tower for very long.”
“Well, if you must know, I cannot stay and keep you company. I don’t need people to wonder about my outings. Especially, when I don’t take along one of my father’s guards as an escort.”
“So how were you able to sneak away this morning?”
She moved toward the window and peered out. “I convinced the guard who’d taken it upon himself to be my shadow, that I was meeting you and some other friends for a ride through the country.”
“And he believed you?”
She glanced at Ryder over her shoulder. “But of course. He had no reason to doubt me.”
